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Celloboy Special user London, England 534 Posts |
I received this book from Paul today, and finished it not long ago (which for those of you who have it know its a mammoth tome). I am very very impressed with the book, so I thought I'd pop up a review of the book. The book covers a great many mental feats, that are largely propless other than the knowledge in your head. The Day Of Any Date is one effect that really impressed me. If you've ever wanted to be able to tell the day of the week any date fell on then this is the perfect solution. I learnt the Corinda method a while back but discovered that it failed in a number of situations due to a flaw in the method, but Paul fixes this problem in a great way, and teaches it masterfully. Paul's Knight's Tour is also awesome. Paul covers not only the method of the Knight's tour, but also how to make it meaningful, how to get the reactions you've always wanted from it. I've never learnt this feat because I felt that it was boring and pointless, but Paul has convinced me otherwise, so I've set about attempting to memorise it all. And in the memorisation is where Paul's book comes into its own. In many respects this book is part book and part workbook, meaning that there is no need to annoy your spouse or friends! Paul is a great teacher, who communicates his love of the material. It is worth so much more than his asking price, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Paul has coming. Definately a five star book.
Definitely recommended for checking out. So people aren't asking for the link here it is! http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/heknows/coapm.htm
How to give readings for magicians:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-give-readings-for-magicians-tickets-138321153293?aff= |
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dmoses Inner circle 2261 Posts |
Thanks for posting this Cello.
"You're a comedian. You wanna do mankind a service, tell funnier jokes."
TPR by Dave Moses and Iain Dunford T-shirts for Magicians and Mentalists |
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Anthony Jacquin Inner circle UK 2220 Posts |
I too received this today and have read through half of it. I must echo Celloboys comments.
The effects outlined are brilliant, the attention to detail impressive and the myriad of performance tips throughout the book absolutely invaluable. I will write a full review once I have read it all and mastered some of the material. Well done Paul. Anthony
Anthony Jacquin
Reality is Plastic! The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis Updated for 2016 Now on Kindle and Audible! |
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BlakeAdams Special user Texas 641 Posts |
Wow I'm so excited I cant wait for mine to come in.
Blake |
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Chris K Inner circle 2544 Posts |
Man, I love Paul's work but this is one of those weird situations where the review makes me want the book less, not more.
Knight's Tour: I have Lior's and it's great. Added my own twist and it's mine forever. Maybe there is a better way out there but this just fits me. Memory Work: Two words: Harry Lorayne. While I don't use all his techniques, I have yet to see anything that goes above and beyond his stuff (regarding his techniques I don't use: I have a mind for numbers and I fail to see a situation where I need to memorize a 50-digit number in a few seconds so no point) Day of Any Date: Already have a method that is second nature and there aren't any "blackout dates" Of all the things discussed (aside from the understandably vague "the myriad of performance tips"), each point brought up actually made my desire for the book go down. I feel bad saying it but I don't even know if I will pick it up at this point, can others chime in here? A Paul Brook book I don't want?!?! Something has to be missing from these reviews. Lem |
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Celloboy Special user London, England 534 Posts |
Hey Lem,
The things I talked about where the things that struck me personally about the book, but there are loads of other great effects in a book, like 'Any Word On Any Object' or 'Tossed Out Thoughts'. And you will definitely learn new things about the tour. Paul has an amazing concept to do with the Tour that opens so so many more effects with it, with no more effort on your part. Those are just some of the things I had left out, I hope that helps your decision making process a bit!
How to give readings for magicians:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-give-readings-for-magicians-tickets-138321153293?aff= |
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Nathan Pain Inner circle iowa 2825 Posts |
Come on mailman...drop a bomb on me!
Nathan
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Anthony Jacquin Inner circle UK 2220 Posts |
I hear what you are saying Lem but there is tons more material in the book. I am certain that if you have enjoyed his work in the past you will get plenty of value from 'COTP'. Having finished it today I think it is one of his best yet.
I appreciate you do not need a new method for Knights Tour and Day of week for any Date but his ideas about presenting such feats and how to avoid the pitfalls of chess and maths effects are well worth it. There is a lovely impromptu coin effect in there too. All the best Anthony
Anthony Jacquin
Reality is Plastic! The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis Updated for 2016 Now on Kindle and Audible! |
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lucavolpe Inner circle Italy - London 3349 Posts |
Im waiting mine....
:(
Luca Volpe
"The Italian Mentalist" https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/lucavolpe http://www.lucavolpe.com |
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Psychologic New user London, UK 77 Posts |
I'm ordering mine...
:) |
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Machina Elite user 408 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-09 20:57, Celloboy wrote: that's 100% Celloboy, breaking open the Knight's Tour to give you other effects to me is one of the main attractions. Pauls' COAPM has, as usual great effects, attention to detail and lots of subtleties. And of course his devious methods can be applied to make up other effects too. And if that's not enough you are going to need this book too, to figure out the hidden code and unlock the secret to a Homage.
This "has nothing to do with the Magician who doesn't like Rock n Roll!" Corinda
www.mechanicsofthemind.com |
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Kevin Cook Elite user 431 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-09 20:05, Lemniscate wrote: Me too I'm afraid. I was about to order 12 copies for myself and gifts for friends. Then I read the above review and have decided against it. |
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aukt Special user 763 Posts |
I don't mean to be a total joy killer, but I really don't rate his work. Just my opinion mind, and I am all for listening to everyone else’s.
His contribution to tom baxters nw anthology was a case in point for me. He takes a simple straight forward effect and turns it into an exhausting 10 page speech, much of which is not necessary. He covers the basic minutiae in such fine detail that it's difficult for me to decide if he's intentionally filling pages and word counts, or is writing to the lowest common denominator in the mentalism market - the poorly informed - who follow blindly the songs of the masses. I know many of you will say "but that's the real value, it's full of subtleties and nuances". I disagree. Much of the minutiae are tedious and self evident filler, not subtleties. Take the opening of one of his books, supposedly sitting in some penthouse suite or whatever - drivel. And perhaps most telling of all, the nonsense story that he had sold a thousand copies of a book before any one of significant note, or indeed the allelomimetic masses, had heard of him. I actually felt sorry for the person who was told this by brooke, and subsequently posted it here. anyway, I think I’ve gone a bit personal in this post, so I'll apologise for that, I’m just speaking with the same honesty that his supporters speak with. |
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Davit Sicseek Inner circle 1818 Posts |
Quote:
Take the opening of one of his books, supposedly sitting in some penthouse suite or whatever - drivel. That's a parody of another literary work... don't worry, I wasn't wide enough read either. More the fool us. I really like "The Gift" - and I do like some of his other work a great deal. Having said that, I would tend to agree with the sentiment of your post, at least to some extent... Paul is a man that clearly likes his waffles, talking about the 7th layer of the psychological routining and signing his emails with a big long list of letters (is it just me that automatically suspects 'mickey mouse qualifications/memberships' when I see long lists of abbreviations?) Dare I ask the meaning of the title the book? I hear it's approaching 600 pages... While I value my $, I also value my time
Send me the truth: davitsicseek@gmail.com
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Chris K Inner circle 2544 Posts |
Wow, thanks for the responses, guys, they are much appreciated. You all make very good points.
In the end, I'm still up in the air about this book (at this time). Let me be clear, since my original post read a little rougher than I would have liked in retrospect: I think Paul's ideas are pretty fantastic. I truly do. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I would learn a great deal from this work of his. However, the material of the review made me question whether this is something I need to get. We all know that we are inundated, all the time, with releases from brilliant people. We also all know that we have our own method of "filtering". For me, a great deal of that involves "who" the creator is. However, even with that filter, there's too much out there. In the end, I have to decide what is going to be the best VALUE for me. Sure, there is a certain amount of "Oh, I'd love to have that book" and so forth, but sometimes you need to buy something that is going to improve your act or maybe you need to fill a specific slot, etc. There are many works from Osterlind that I don't own, I don't own all of Paul's works either. I don't see myself ever buying all of what both these guys have released (my loss, I am sure, but a reality of finance). As such, look at what I said again about WHY I seemed to have lost interest. I already do stuff like that. Stuff that I have personalized and audience tested to a large degree. Sure, there may be some subtleties that help but, and just being candid here, most of the time I hear the phrase "great new subtleties" they are referring to ideas and approaches that have been around for years. Instead, maybe I'd rather buy On Mephisto's Shoulder (one of Paul's works that I do not have) or Mystique or maybe join an impromptu acting group. In the end, I think there's more I could learn from those than reading a (possibly) different Day for Any Date formula. Or see somebody else's approach to using mnemonics. Do you guys see what I mean? It's not a knock on Paul nor is it a knock on the book (how could it be, I expect it's good and even if it isn't, I haven't read it to know). I wouldn't expect a gambling-demonstration-type magician to get much value out of it either (relative to other things he could get). Sorry I rambled but you guys were really cool and I just wanted to be a bit more clear. Keep in mind the wife is hitting a spa day next month and I get the equal amount in discretionary spending, hence my strong interest in figuring out what I want. Thanks again guys, keep in mind I'll keep reading this thread, so feel free to respond. Again, everybody, thanks a bunch for sharing your thoughts (and, for the most part, in a nice way!). Lem |
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Alexander Marsh Inner circle England 1191 Posts |
The effects in this tome will require effort and practice on the part of the performer, which is why, I imagine, Paul wrote it with a 'workbook' feel.
Also, I personally enjoy a longer book - it means you read it like a 'real' book. You don't just gorge yourself on effects and then move on to the next book. A longer book allows you to read part of it, book-mark it, and digest the information you have just taken in. The effects will require a bit of work on your part, but if these kind of effects using mathematical and mnemonic principals appeal to you, and the idea of having to work for your miracles doesn't frighten you or put you off, and you like the idea that most of these effects are virtually propless - then I highly recommend this book.
My stuff: AlexanderMarshMentalism.co.uk
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Paul Brook Special user UK 855 Posts |
Hey All,
Thanks for the kind words folks. LEM: There are other things to interest you in the book. Especially if you already know the Knight’s Tour as I give you a way to use that memorised sequence to produce a number of strong stage effects. There are also some very cool effects such as: ------------- Data Space: A strong three/four phase routine. The performer writes down something on a business card before asking the participant to name any two digit number. Amazingly the performer has correctly predicted the number the participant names. To demonstrate that this was not down to chance this process is repeated. The performer now writes down a star sign and tables the card. The participant names for the first time what their star sign is, the card is turned over (by the participant) to reveal that same star sign is written on the card. The participant now tells the performer his birth date and year, and within FIVE seconds the performer is able to tell the participant what day of the week he was born and what the weather was like on that day. This is checked via a mobile phone and found to be absolutely correct. Please note that this effect requires no pre-show work and can be performed with a complete stranger at a moments notice. ------------- …AND…A participant as mind reader effect: ------------- Something Beautiful: Two people are sat with the performer. The performer writes down something on a business card and tables it. Person #1 thinks of a two digit number (this is never named) and through random calculations ends up with a three digit number. Person #2 now looks at the tabled business card and is asked to try and work out what the first person's original two digit number was. Person #2 names the number and it matches the original two digit number that has never left the mind of Person #1. This same card is turned around revealing to Person #1 the three digit number that he randomly created moments ago, even though this was written at the very beginning of the effect. ------------- So I think that you will get something from the book other than the items that you already use and have your own methods/performances for SOCK PUPPETS: Well it is that time of year when I release a new book, and a few people use alternative accounts from where to take digs at me and my work, other than comment on the book in question. Could it be that these people (or person using both hands for sock puppets, how does he type?) want to bring the thread off topic? I could be wrong and these people could be genuine, and if this is the case then I will take their opinion and apologise. As with all sock puppets I offer up the chance for them to let everyone know that they are genuine people. Simply send me your Paypal Transaction ID and I will not post your details, but I will publicly post that you are not in fact a person hiding behind a screen name. However, as always I expect that I won’t be sent those Paypal IDs, but anything is possible. There will obviously be excuses as to why these people do not have IDs such as “I purchased the book second hand” etc. which are very ‘convenient’. But I even have a solution for this as well Right, with regards to the Nail Writer Anthology Tom Baxter was kind enough, in one of his emails to me, to say that a number of people had spoken favourably about my contribution. So I guess that some people did not think that my contribution was too long. RE: ‘waffle’- After releasing my first few books the thing that people enjoyed was the full scripting, and full inclusion of nuances and subtleties. This is the way that I like to write with full inclusion of subtleties and scripting. When performing effects there are always pitfalls and it takes time and failure to discover these. Therefore, I have always thought it made sense that a person purchasing an effect would like to know what my experience has gleamed. I tend to find that people who do not include subtleties tend to be people who have not in fact performed the effect that he is receiving punters money for (the term pipe-dreams is a phrase that comes to mind). Anyway, you may be a method mad junky who wants to know what the effect is and how it is done, without regard to presentation or subtleties. Well I write my books so that if you did want to know the effect and method you would be able to do so very quickly. So regardless of if you want to add a performance piece to your act, or if you just want method, both can be found easily in ALL of my products. RE: penthouse suite - I was in a five star hotel in France when I wrote the introduction, however, the choice of mentioning the penthouse suite was an ‘in joke’ for fans of H.P.Lovecraft. Read his short story “The Music of Erich Zann’. I guess you guys are just ‘The Outsider’ (that was another crafted ‘in joke’ for Lovecraft lovers) RE: a big long list of letters after my name – Well deserved letters after my name I may add. If you consider old red brick universities as ‘micky mouse’ then I hold my hands up lol Please do not forget that before I became a Professional in this field that I had a 9-5 job as a Psychologist, which required me to have genuine qualifications. After nearly a decade as a psychologist, and various background checks, my credentials were never an issue. RE: REing - I’ve done it a lot in this post! Jerry Springer Style Final Thought: I come to expect that people who are jealous (or whatever) of me releasing a book would hide behind screen names and take a dig. Trying to attack either my books, credentials, or personality. The truth is that I don’t mind it at all. I take it all in jest. At the end of the day, the Penny forum is by far one of (if not the most) visited forum on this website (the most well known magic forum on the net). Every time a naysayer posts it keeps my threads on the top of this website and in full view of a LOT of people. Despite the negative postings people are coming into contact with my product, and believe it or not these people, BUY the product and make up their own mind. If they don’t like it, they sell it on, simple! I respect all opinions, as long as they are from real people who have the maracas to say what they feel. Especially when you are commenting on a thread about my new book, yet have nothing to comment about the book itself! Kindest As Always, -Paul P.S. I realise that this extra long post aids in the waffle point, but I thought it would be amusing
PAUL BROOK
He Knows Shop - All of my mentalism books, PDFs and props Certified Mentalism A beautifully illustrated hardback book full of real world mentalism FREE MENTALISM Free hard-hitting effects, routines and methods, just a click away MAGIC TV INTERVIEW An deep dive interview with Craig Petty, nothing held back! |
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Davit Sicseek Inner circle 1818 Posts |
Don't be so touchy Paul. While there may well be an conspiracy out to 'get' you - I'm not a part of it. Much as I wish to re-assure you, I'm not prepared with you (nor the many others that have asked,) to give you any of my personal details, nor jump through a single hoop to demonstrate my right to pass comment. My right to comment exists irrespective of your knowledge of my star sign - PA or otherwise
I started off my post with praise of your work and added a little mockery of your extended style and that long list of letters that you sign your emails with. You should just take the point that matters - that I like some of your work and ignore my more light hearted criticisms. Maybe it's just my quirky sense of humor, but I find this long list of letters just a little tiny bit amusing: "MSc D.Hyp.Adv Dip.Hyp hypnotherapist Dip.Couns FHAGB MPBH MUFH MSFTR". Maybe listing counseling qualifications adds a little gravitas in the minds of those dazzled by the prospects of learning some mentalism from a real life psychologist. I'm ashamed that I can't be counted in their ranks, but at least it brings a smile to my face. Please lighten - just a little wheensy bit.
Send me the truth: davitsicseek@gmail.com
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Paul Brook Special user UK 855 Posts |
I wasn't being touchy, just wanted to respond to some of the things that were mentioned. Especially as you were implying that my qualifications were 'micky mouse'.
If you have purchased something from me then your personal details will be stored on PayPal anyway, so not asking for anything that I don't already have. But why should you prove who you are, right? Just to be clear I don't feel as though there is a conspiracy against me, just a few people with nothing better to do with their time Kindest, -Paul P.S Thanks for bumping the thread
PAUL BROOK
He Knows Shop - All of my mentalism books, PDFs and props Certified Mentalism A beautifully illustrated hardback book full of real world mentalism FREE MENTALISM Free hard-hitting effects, routines and methods, just a click away MAGIC TV INTERVIEW An deep dive interview with Craig Petty, nothing held back! |
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Davit Sicseek Inner circle 1818 Posts |
No thanks needed... I like some of your work remember.
You are correct, my details would be stored on pay pal. Unless I transferred some money from my real account to an unverified account, in which case you could have a Micky Mouse customer as well (sorry couldn't resist.) I don't wish to share any personal details whatsoever. I don't wish to jump through hoops to be granted an approved 'license' to comment. The fact of the matter is that I don't need to, my right to comment exists irrespective of your demands and the validity of my comments can be judged by the court of public opinion. Out of interest what is FHAGB? Searching for it alone, in combination with psychology, psychologist, hypnotist left me none the wiser. In fact, the most likely candidate, and the first result in google was The Friesian Horse Association of Great Britain.
Send me the truth: davitsicseek@gmail.com
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